Advocacy

In order to fulfill our Mission & Vision VALA advocates and represents Vocational & Applied Learning educators through various means, including:

• Membership of boards, committees and groups.
• Development of partnerships.
• Submissions to consultations.
• Providing thought leadership.
• Stakeholder meetings to raise and discuss various issues.
• Development of partnerships.

To contact VALA about advocacy related matters, email the CEO, Helene Rooks

Currently VALA is represented on the following Boards, Committees and Groups:

Victorian Government - Senior Secondary Certificate Reform Reference Group.   2021 - onwards 

Deakin University - Master of Applied Learning and Teaching (Secondary) Advisory Board. 2021 - onwards

Council for Professional Teachers Associations Victoria (CPTAV) - Executive Committee (Secretary).  2019 - onwards

Outer Eastern Local Learning and Employment Network (OELLEN) - Board of Management (current Chair). 2015 - onwards

Past Committees and Groups:

VicLLENs Combined Chairs Council - Executive Committee (Deputy Chair).   2019 - 2023

VCAA - GAT Reform Steering Committee.   2019 - 2021

Victorian Government - Pathways Stakeholders Reference Group  2018 - 2019

Other recent activities and work:

The Age article Students to benefit from hands-on reform of VCE, including Quotes from VALA CEO January 28, 2023

Meeting with Ms Jenny Atta (Secretary DET)  & Mr Scott Widmer (Deputy Assistant Secretary) - re SSCR September 10, 2021

Open letter regarding the Senior Secondary Certificate Reform.docx September 8, 2021

CPTAV - VCAA 'Out of Field Teachers Seminar'. Presenter April 29, 2021

The Age Schools Summit - 'Disruption, resilience and new possibilities'. April 27, 2021

Panel member - VCAL & VCE Integration - VALA CEO

Meeting with the Deputy Premier, Minister for Education Mr. James Merlino - re Firth Report December 7, 2020

VCAL and Firth report - The path ahead; 21st century skill development in applied and vocational education.docx November 26, 2020

The Age article Vocational high school certificate to be scrapped, including quotes from VALA CEO November 24, 2020

The Age article Lockdowns put VCAL students at risk of not completing year 12, including quotes from VALA CEO September 12, 2020  

Open letter from VALA re VCAL Certification in the pandemic.docx August 2020

The Age article VCAL is not VCE's poor cousin including quotes from VALA CEO August 3, 2019

The Age article The push to overhaul the 'VCE's poor cousin' including quotes from VALA CEO  July 19. 2019